Runa, My Sweet
by theonlydudeonfanfiction
Summary: Runa knew she wouldn't have a normal life when she was adopted by Dovahkiin
1. Stagnation

Runa my Sweet

"UP! GET UP! YOU WORTHLESS SNOT-NOSED BRATS AREN'T WORTH THE MUCK IN THE CANALS!" Runa heard Grelod screeching the first thing in the morning.  
Every day. Grelod was the meanest, most wretched woman on Nirn. No doubt. Runa got out of her rickety bed and sighed. Grelod turned to her.  
"Oh, do I bore you, Ms. Runa?!" she accused.  
"N-no, Mrs. Grelod. I promise it wont' happen again."  
"That's it! No dinner tonight! NONE!" Runa frowned and walked over to the closet and picked up her broom. She had to sweep the floors, wash Grelod's gem collection and make the beds.  
The day was a wretched as any other day. She toiled endlessly in the stuffy orphanage. I was especially bad when Grelod stood over her and harassed her as she labored to polish her precious gems. Finally, the day was done. She walked to her bed and layed down, as the other orphans settled down for the day. Hroar walked up to her. "Hey, Runa. Have this." He pulled a piece of bread out of his pocket. Runa's stomach growled.  
"Thanks, Hroar." "Go to sleep! NOW!" Grelod cried from the next room over. The orphans scattered and jumped in bed. Another day in hell is over.

That night, Runa awoke in a half-asleep haze as she heard a shout and a wet noise, like someone sliced open a flask of water. Then, a thud. Runa ignored it and fell back asleep.  
The next morning, Runa awoke to screaming. No, not the normal screaming. Scared screaming. It was Constance Michel. Runa raced into Grelod's room to see her body, beheaded by an unknown stranger in the night. Constance was terrified, while everyone else was delighted. Amidst all the chaos, someone walked in. He was an Imperial, but was built like a Nord, tall and very muscular. He had a goatee and 3 vertical scars on the right side of his face. He wore Ebony armor, boots, and gauntlets. He also wore a steel horned helmet.  
From that moment she saw that stranger, her life was changed. 


	2. Family

"Hello." The stranger said in a cool, deep voice amidst the chaos. Everyone stopped and looked up, "I'd like to make an adoption." the children looked at each other and immediately rushed the man and vied for his attention. Hroar and Samuel harassed him, presenting their good qualities and such. Runa stood by herself quietly and Francis straight up just walked out of the room. Constance hushed the children.  
"Now, now. Calm down, all of you," she turned to the man, "And what did you say your name was?"  
"Xerxes." he shook her hand.  
"And what is your job?" the man whistled.  
"Well... I'm the Dragonborn.." "What? Look, you need to be serious..." She looked at his armor and the massive Ebony battleaxe on his back, "By Shor, you're serious! Well, that's just great! Go and meet the kids and come to me when you've decided." The stranger looked around at the jabbering children. Suddenly, he looked at Runa.  
her heart leapt in excitement. Maybe today would be the day? He walked towards her and kneeled down to match her eye level. "What's your name, little one?" Runa blushed in her shyness.  
"R-runa..." The man gasped and gently took her hand.  
"THE Runa?" he bowed to her in an exaggerated fashion. She giggled at his antics.  
"And what's your name?" She asked.  
"My name is Xerxes Swift-sword," he said with a smile. Hroar walked over.  
"Is that a battleaxe?" he questioned. Xerxes turned towards the boy.  
"Aye. I found it down all the way down in Silverdrift Lair, amongst the many Draugr."  
"Cool! One day, I want to be an adventurer, just like you!" "You're on your way. That right arm looks like it could be deadly with some training." Hroar sighed.  
"From all the work we do here... and Grelod would beat us, for hours on end. I'm sick of this place." The man frowned. "Well, that won't be a problem anymore," he stood up, "How would you like to come live with me?" The two kids leapt up.  
"R-really? You mean it? Yay! I promise I'll be the best daughter ever, sir! I-I mean papa!" Runa said.  
"Yeah! I'll go pack my stuff!" Hroar and Runa sped off to their chests of items and filled up their satchels. Meanwhile, Xerxes and Constance talked about their home, the welfare of the kids, legal papers, yadda yadda yadda. Just boring grown-up talk to her. For the first time in a long while, Runa was happy.

"Ready to go?" Xerxes asked.  
"Yes!" Runa and Hroar answered quickly. Xerxes was just about to head out when he saw Samuel in the corner looking defeated. He walked over.  
"I heard someone was on their way looking to adopt a kid." He said to Sam. His face lit up.  
"Really?" "Yes, her name is Karliah. I heard she wants to settle down a bit and start a family."  
"Wow!" He stood up and started out the door.  
Runa and Hroar walked out into the bright morning sun. They'd been stuck in that dang orphanage so long outside seemed foreign. "Hold my hand, I don't want you to fall into the water." They held his hands and started towards the stables. People of all walks of life waved and greeted Xerxes. Bolli, Mjoll, Aerin and even guards.  
"Wow... are you...famous?" Runa asked. He nodded. "I've been all over, from Winterhold to Falkreath. I've made many friends along the way." They arrived at the stables and hopped in a carriage.  
"Home, Gunjar." Gunjar nodded and they were off. "So, you're THE dragonborn from legend?" Hroar asked.  
"Yep." Hroar sat back in an amazed haze.  
"Do... do you have a wife?" Runa said.  
"Yes, I do. Her name is Ysolda. She's very nice, you'll love her. I also have my steward Lydia, my housecarl Rayya, my bard Lewellyn, my horse, some bees, Shadowmere, a cow, 3 chickens and my carriage driver, Gunjar." "Oh! I love horses! Have you named it?" she responded.  
"No, he hasn't a name. You can name him if you want."  
"Yay!"

The day went on, them making their way to Lakeview Manor, stopping for lunch in Whiterun. Finally, the massive home loomed in the distance.  
"Wow..." Runa was breathless. The sunset dipped below the mountains. Colors of red, gold, orange, pink and purple danced across the lake.  
"Like it?" he asked, "I built the home myself." "Here." Gunjar halted the horse. The front door opened and a woman came out.  
"Hello. My name's Ysolda. Your names are Hroar and Runa, right?" They nodded, "Would you like me to help you unpack?" Hroar leapt off the carriage and walked with Ysolda to the Bedrooms. Runa stayed with her papa.  
"You don't want to go inside?" he asked.  
"No. I like the lake." she said.  
"Aye, it is beautiful." They looked at the sunset until delicious smells wafted from the kitchen. Runa's stomach growled and he laughed.  
"Hungry, are we?" Runa blushed.  
"Sorry."  
"No, don't be," he got off the carriage and lifted her off, "I'll bet you haven't had a proper meal in a while. The Bannered Mare didn't have much of a selection either."  
They walked inside the Eastern kitchen wing to see Ysolda and Hroar preparing a feast. Hroar turned to him and Runa.  
"Look, Papa! I made the grilled leeks ALL by myself!" Xerxes chuckled.  
"So I see. You'll be cooking at the Blue Palace in no time. Now you two go wash up. I can help finish the meal from here." Runa and Hroar dashed to the washbasin.

Soon, all the food was out. There were Rabbit Haunches, Seared Slaughterfish, bread, grilled leeks, and baked apples. For dessert, sweetrolls. It tasted so good it felt like Runa had never seen food before. It beat the stale bread and squishy apples Grelod shoved down their gullets on a daily basis by a mile.  
It was a busy dinner table with everyone having their own conversations. Lewellyn flirted with Rayya, who seemed unenthusiastic with his advances. Lydia and Gunjar chatted quietly about this and that. Xerxes and Ysolda talked about how they visited Fralia Grey-Mane, how much cash the store made, and Kahjiit Caravans. Runa and Hroar sat close to them.  
"Hroar, isn't it amazing? I've never been so happy! For my whole life I've never had a mama or papa, and now, Everything's better." Hroar smiled.  
"He'll said he'll teach me to be the best warrior! Hiya!" he chopped at an invisible enemy, almost knocking over his tankard of milk.

Soon, everyone disperesed and cleaned up. They had some down time, so Hroar went off to read with Ysolda. Meanwhile, Runa explored her new home.  
She started with the enterance. There was some weapons she kept her distance from, some mounted heads and such. She looked in the bedroom. There were two beds, for Hroar and her.  
Hroar claimed the one closest to the main hall, as shown by his knapsack and trinkets strewn across the quilt. Runa's knapsack was set carefully on the other bed. Runa observed the room as she loaded up her chest at the foot of her bed. Some lavender, some bear claws, a gold necklace and a piece of glass. Across the room was a double bed, for her parents. There was a display case next to her bed.  
In the middle of the room was a table, with a book and some random bits and pieces on top.

Runa explored the rest of the house. There was the kitchen, with Lydia and Gunjar chatting about adventures and exciting things they say. The room was stocked full of meats, fish, vegetables and fruits. Then there was the North wing, the alchemy tower. Runa kept her distance. The bubbling potions and strange ingredients frightened her. Upstairs was 3 beds for Gunjar, Lydia, Lewellyn and Rayya.  
In the cellar was a forge, shrines and a child practice dummy. Runa smiled. Hroar would LOVE this.

"Runa!" she heard a shout upstairs.  
"Coming!" she climbed the ladder and saw her father.  
"Done exploring?" "Yeah, your house is amazing!"  
"It's time for bed. Have your mother put on your nightgown and I'll be right there."  
"Ok, papa," she started off towards the bedrooms and was soon in her soft gown. Her father arrived with two tankards of water and set them on the night tables.  
"If you get thirsty."  
"Thanks, papa." he sat down in the chair in between the beds.  
"How about I tell you a story to help you fall alseep? I understand this day has been a lot to process, so..."  
"Yeah!" Hroar cried, "Does it have dragons? Draugrs? Or the most fearsome of them all, mudcrabs?!"  
"Woah, woah, calm down child. I'll get there..." Xerxes got more confortable. "Now, this is the story of a young man. He was born in Cyrodiil, in a small farm town. His parents were farmers. However, his ancestors had been strong, brave warriors for a long time in the centuries before. He hadn't left his village in his whole life."  
"His WHOLE life?" Hroar seemed amazed.  
"Yes, his entire life. He wanted to be a gallant warrior. He had the body, the mind, and the spirit. However, his parents only wanted him to be one thing; a farmer. Nothing else. One day he tired of this boring, awful life. So when he was age 25, he gathered his things; a flimsy sword, his clothes, and some food. He ran away in the night and tried to escape into Skyrim..." His eyes looked into the distance and seemed to focus on something.  
"Papa?" Runa asked. She felt her eyelids get heavy. Xerxes snapped out of it.  
"Sorry." He cleared his throat, "Anyway, he got caught. It was awful. The empire seized him for illegal immigration and sent him to his death. He was just about to executed. He remembers feeling the sticky blood of the man before him. He remebers the fear and his own sadness. But then..." He noticed his kids fast asleep, "He was saved, by his own enemy..." He stood up and kissed his kid's on the forehead and changed into his Arch-Mage's robes and lay in bed with Ysolda. Runa lay in bed, getting her very much needed rest.

She was going to need it... 


	3. Nightmare

Runa tossed and turned in her bed. It was late at night, but the horrors of the orphanage haunt her still.

She dreams she's back in Riften, and she's running away. No one else is on the streets. The blacksmith forge is cold, the market sits quiet. A thick fog blankets the streets. But still, she dashes away. It seems the city walls are miles away.

Suddenly, she hears a sound. An awful screaming. Out of the fog bursts no one other than Grelod.

"You little BITCH!" she screams, "You're the one who killed me!" Grelod runs towards Runa. She tries to escape, but her feet move at a leisurely pace.

"Leave me ALONE!" she screams back. Grelod catches up and grabs her.

"You're a rat, and you'll DIE like one too!" A hole opens up in the ground and Grelod tosses Runa in. She lands on the hard, stone ground. It's completely black, except for the small illuminated area she's in. Nothing excpet her and the smooth, grey stone floor.

Suddenly, a block appears. A large man with an axe runs out of the darkness and grabs her. He forces her head onto the block and restrains her so she's immobile. He raises up the axe...

"I'm sorry! Let me go!" The axe starts to fall...

"NOOOO!"

Then, nothing. Was she dead? Was she in limbo? She couldn't see her body, only the suffocating blackness that swallows her up. Then, a familiar voice.

"Runa... Runa!"

"Papa? Is that you? Help me!" She sees a bright light approach her.

"Runa!" The light hits her.

She's awake. Bright sunlight hits her eyes and makes her squint. Her eyes adjust and she sees her Papa and Mama standing over her bed.

"Are you ok? You were screaming bloody murder! Are you hurt?" Ysolda asks.

"I... just...I had an awful dream." She responded.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Well, I was in Riften again, but then... Grelod comes and has me beheaded..." Runa said. Xerxes suddenly starts looking away and rubbing the back of his neck with his hands. Ysolda becomes suspicious.

"Hon, you're awful...quiet."

"Well, uh... I don't know...I-"

"You did something." Ysolda says, flatly.

"Well, I didn't do it purposely, and-"

"You told them something... about beheading?!"

"No, I...yes.." Ysolda turned to Runa.

"Let me speak to your father for a second." She grabs his ear and pulls him into the Great hall.

"Ow ow ow ow ow.." She door shuts. Runa runs to the door and puts her ear up to the wood. She eavesdrops on their intense whispers.

"You told them a story about BEHEADING?!"

"Well, I didn't think it would be so bad!"

"By the Nine, Xerxes, they're children!"

"Sorry, I just went off on a tangent, and..."

"I don't care, you need to be a responsible father!" Then, silence. Ysolda was probably pouting.

"Hon?"

"You're sleeping in the stalls tonight." She responded flatly.

"Aw, come on, honey!" Silence, "Don't make me use them."

"Use them, I don't care." Ysolda replies.

"Fine, I will. Puppy dog eyes, go!" More silence.

"Ah! You smiled!"

"Shut up..." she says, slightly laughing.

Suddenly, the door opens. Runa runs back to her bed.

"Your father and I talked a bit and he's not completely off the hook yet..."

"It's ok. It's over now." Runa replied, "So, shall we start the day?"

"Sure. I'll get some breakfast going." Ysolda said, "Anyone can join me in the kitchen if they please." Ysolda walked off towards the kitchen. Suddenly, Hroar stirred in his bed and his eyes popped open.

"Kill the dragon! Slay it!" he shouted. He looked around, "Oh, I'm awake."

"Morning, Hroar." Xerxes said.

"Hi, pa. Can we train today? Like with swords?" Xerxes laughed.

"Sure thing, after breakfast. Your mom is in the kitchen. You can go help her of you want." Hroar pushed off the quilt and scurried off towards the kitchen.

"Is there anything you'd like to learn?" Xerxes asked. Runa pondered a bit.

"I'd like to learn magick skills."

"Really? Well, I'd be happy to help you. I know quite a bit, like this." An orange glow enveloped his hand as he flicked it upwards. Every display case and door in the house opened up.

"Wow!" Runa was amazed. A flick back down, they closed again.

"Well, how about we go help with breakfast?" He asked.

"Ok, papa." She grabbed his hand and hopped down from the bed. Runa's mind ran wild with the ideas of learning magicka skills. One day, she may join the College of Winterhold!

The warm scent of apple dumplings wafted through the house. Runa smiled. Today was gonna be great.


End file.
